This invention relates to easy opening, self-contained, easy to use, single or multiple use dispenser packages capable of economical, high speed production, manufactured from a broad range of materials, many of which are recyclable. They may contain such products as syrups, cream, cheeses, salad dressings, shampoo, hand-cream, liquid detergents, motor oil, toothpaste pates, pet food and many other products. It additionally relates to a package which has the capability of dispensing the contained product, e.g., mouthwash, cough syrup, confections, alcoholic beverages, etc., directly into the mouth of the user, and which also includes a reclosure cap member formed as an integral part of the package and which preferably is tethered to the package by a tether also formed integrally with the package. It will also be seen that the easy opening feature together with the reclosure cap and tether may be formed independently and sealed or adhered to the surface of many packages such as bags, milk containers, pouches, pillow packages (sachets), etc. to make for very efficient low cost dispensing packages or squeeze bags. These squeeze bag type packages could dispense food pastes such as pet food, cremes, grease, yogurt, certain types of dough, cake frosting and could be made of everything from treated, coated paperboard plastic films, foils, laminates or coextrusions of these materials. The easy opening means of this application in its preferred embodiment is comprised of a drum-like protrusion from which a secondary frusto conical protrusion extends to create a tip which is encircled at its base by a fault line. To create the aperture this tip is broken away by applying light lateral finger pressure. In order to protect this breakaway tip during shipment or for reclosing the aperture, a tethered cap is also formed adjacent to the double protrusion. The tether functions not only to hold the cap, thereby preventing the cap from being lost, but also to hold the cap [on the tip] in place by acting like a spring.
In an alternate aperture forming system the initial drum like protrusion has, instead of a frusto-conical breakaway tip, a fault line pattern defined in its top surface, so designed as to rupture to create an outlet of various required shapes when a puncturing tool/plug is pressed into said fault line pattern. Such puncturing tool/plug may be formed instead of a cap and may be tethered or the cap may be double ended with a cap formation on one end and the puncturing tool/plug formation on the other. It will also be seen that a cap containing a protruding member formed within the cap similar to the style of a flower would perform as a central punch when the cap is pressed over the drum shaped protrusion. It will further be seen that in certain instances where a metal foil liner is required for a flowable product such as an alcoholic drink the drum shaped protrusion may be replaced by a moundlike protrusion with a central fault line pattern. The reason for such a moundlike shape instead of the drum shape is to prevent the stretching of the foil beyond its elastic limit at surface intersections in which case it would rupture during formation. Said pattern able to be punched open by a formed puncturing tool/plug said puncturing tool/plug may be thermoformed and tethered to the unit or may be independently made and the tether may have a formed ring at its free end into which the puncturing tool plug may be seated.
This invention also relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing the aforesaid formation and packaging, reliably at high speed, in many cases from fully recyclable material, so as to permit such packages to be produced at low cost and, in many cases, recyclable. Additionally the packages may use less plastic material than most other previously known portion packages leading to source reduction and environmental benefits even when non-recyclable materials are used.
Various attempts have been made to provide a dispenser package in which a product may be packaged in the quantity normally required for single or multiple uses, and from which the contained product may be dispensed.
One type of such dispenser packages is a pillow pouch or sachet, typically made of relatively thin plastics and foils or combinations of laminated plastics and foils. These packages are most frequently encountered as containers for catsup, mustard, other condiments, homecare preparations such as hair conditioners, dyes and cremes, etc. Although this type of package is universally used, it is also universally disliked by the consumer. In order to access the contents, the pouch must be held in one hand while a tearing motion and force are applied by the other hand. Creating the initial tear to break the packages seal is often very difficult, often requiring the assistance of the user""s teeth. Moreover, once the initial tear is created, the laminated foil and/or plastic material not only often tears in an uncontrolled fashion, but the holding pressure exerted by one of the user""s hands often forces the contents out of the envelope not only before the user is ready to apply the contents, but even before the tearing motion is complete. Opening these packages leads to frayed tempers, broken fingernails, and chipped teeth, as well as other problems. The user must also use both hands to open the container. In the case of invalids, arthritis sufferers and other handicapped people, opening these packages is virtually impossible. Yet another problem associated with these prior packages is the impossibility of efficient reclosure, thereby precluding multiple use of the package, with consequent waste of the unused contents. Further disadvantages include the sachet""s inability to function effectively with low viscosity products such as coffee cream, mouthwash or alcoholic beverages, due to the inability of the torn opening to control the direction of flow of such liquids from the package. These packages also are generally totally unrecyclable, and therefore become environmental pollutants. As above-mentioned however, should continued use of these sachets be preferred, then the easy opening feature of this application may be readily and economically adhered to the sachet to make for an easy opening, reclosable, high-barrier package.
Another dispenser package is the peel-top cup used for butter, margarine, syrup, sauces, salad dressing, and other similar products. This type of package requires good eyesight and manual dexterity. Such packages are often used as coffee creamers and have many disadvantages, including difficulty in peeling off the top in order to open, as well as difficulty in pouring, accidental spilling, and the inability to be reclosed so as to preclude more than a single use. Again the inventions described herein can be adhered or integrally formed into these packages to make them easy opening and reclosable. Yet another type of dispenser package is the unsealed corrugated paper package used for salt and/or pepper, which upon bending along an interrupted line cut through the corrugations forms an opening through which the salt or other material contained in the package may flow. These packages only dispense dry, solid flowables with the assistance of gravity, and cannot be used to contain, no less dispense, xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d or liquid flowable materials. The package of this invention can contain and readily dispense both liquids and dry granular products.
Small, very expensive, metal capped bottles are used for alcoholic drinks and are either poured or consumed directly from the bottle. These bottles may be reclosed, but often are sized for a single drink so they do not have to be reclosed. The instant package can be used for alcoholic beverages at a fraction of the cost of the bottles.
Everyone is familiar with the ubiquitous gable top milk carton and everyone is familiar with the varying degrees of difficulty in opening them. These range from fingernail breaking to just plain unopenable without a knife or other tool.
They never truly reclose and at best are messy and unclean looking. In the U.S. there has been a move toward mounting a screw-on cap combination comprising a threaded nozzle member which is sealed onto one of the slanted gables of s the carton and the other is an unattached screw-on cap. This little injection molded duo is costly to make and to install, possibly on the order of 3 to 5 cents and is commonly used on large gable top juice containers in the half gallon size. These are expensive, high profit items selling for about three dollars each and can bear the extra tariff for the screw-on outlets. There are however billions of these gable top units sold annually for milk and cream in varying sizes from half-pints to half gallons. Producers however are reluctant to increase carton cost significantly and the public continues to use difficult to open cartons.
The instant invention makes available a sealed and tamper evident outlet with a tethered cap, both formed in a single, small plastic unit which can be readily sealed or adhesively attached to the gable over a small pre-made hole. It is ultra low cost and may be made of polypropylene, high density polyethylene, PVC. Polyester etc. utilizing material costing small fractions of a cent. It will be seen that the cap serves a double purpose. It enables the outlet to be reclosed after opening and of equal importance, since the cap is in place over the breakaway tip during shipment it protects the tip from being accidentally hit or subjected to any forces which may open the outlet.
It may be seen that the lower drum-like formation beneath the breakaway tip may be elongated so that when the tip is broken away, an elongated nozzle remains which would allow the flowable substance to be ingested directly from the container or as in the case of motor oil, being poured directly into the engine oil inlet. Another disadvantage currently experienced with dispensing packages is the closing of the outlet opening. Closing the outlet opening of tubes is presently accomplished by means of an injection molded screw-on cap which normally includes a compressible gasketing material. The end of the tube requires a mating thread to match the cap. Both the separately molded gasketed cap and the threaded tube result in increased manufacturing costs. Additionally, the cap, as often as not, is dropped and/or lost while it is being threaded on or off. Furthermore, there has been a growing trend to manufacture such tubes at still greater cost by providing hinged caps with a flat end surface which permits the tube to stand upright. Thus, the cap members currently in use have the disadvantage that they tend to increase the overall cost of manufacture of the dispensing package.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved means of creating an aperture in a thermoformable plastic material as well as an integrally formed cap and tether where necessary.
A further object is to form independently such aperture creating means with or without a cap and/or tether for adhesion to other forms of previously difficult to open or non-reclosable packaging.
Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved dispenser packages.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved aperture-forming structure for a dispenser package which allows the user to easily and controllably dispense the contents of the package directly to the user""s mouth or in a directionally controlled manner, as desired.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved aperture-forming structure for a dispenser package which opens easily and reliably and yet which can be manufactured economically and at high speed.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved reclosable dispenser package so that the contents thereof may be dispensed in consecutive uses and the outlet opening reclosed between uses.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved reclosable package with an attached cap member formed from the same plastic film which cap member may be thereafter placed over the unopened aperture forming means to protect it and/or to reclose the package after opening.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved reclosable package and removable cap member which may be formed as an integral unit and where the cap member is attached to an integrally made tether and remains attached to the package and which may be placed over the unopened aperture forming means to protect it from changes or accidental opening during shipping and handling.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved reclosable package and tethered cap member which may be formed as an integral unit from a thermoformable material.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved reclosable package and tethered cap member which may be formed as an integral unit from a thermoformable plastic material that is recyclable.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispenser package and cap member wherein the cap member has an open-ended top of predetermined shape so that, upon placing the cap over the aperture of the package the contents may be dispensed in such shaped stream.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispenser package and cap member wherein the cap member includes a utensil device such as tiny protrusions or a flattened surface structure so that the cap member may function as a tool to brush, spread, or otherwise handle the contents dispensed from the package.
Another object of the invention is to replace the cap member with a dual function punch/plug member capable of punching through a tough pre-scored formation to create an aperture and to further act as a plug to close said aperture.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method of making a dispenser package embodying the aforesaid features.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method of thermoforming a dispenser package from a recyclable plastic material at high speed and yet provide a finished package which may be easily and reliably opened by the user.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for forming an aperture-forming structure for a dispenser package.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for forming a nozzle-like aperture structure in a dispenser package so that, upon opening, the contents of the package may be dispensed in a directionally controllable manner.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved self-centering and self-aligning punch and die apparatus adapted to accurately and reliably form a thermoformable material into a hollow tip-like configuration having a peripherally extending fault line so as to permit the tip to be readily broken away by the user to form an aperture opening through which the contents of the package may be dispensed.
The foregoing specific objects and advantages of the invention are illustrative of those which can be achieved by the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages which may be realized. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned from practicing the invention, both as embodied herein or as modified in view of any variations which may be apparent to these of ordinary skill in the art, the same being realized and attained by means of the parts, constructions and instrumentations, and combinations thereof, as well as in the steps and processes pointed out in the appended claims. The present invention resides in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations, steps and processes, and improvements, herein shown and described.
Briefly described this invention is directed to a new reclosable aperture forming means which may be formed with an integrally formed cap member which may be tethered to said aperture forming means to create a unit which may be independently formed and adhesively or sealingly attached to a container wall or surface over a hole in said container wall to create an easy opening, reclosable, when necessary, dispensing package. Said reclosable aperture forming means embodying an integral, hollow protrusion member preferably comprised of two stages, a drum shaped base from which extends a generally conical or frusto-conical tip, said tip member having a fault line encircling it at its juncture with the flat top surface of the first drumlike formation which may be readily broken off to form an opening through which the contents of the package may be dispensed in a directionally controllable stream. After the tip of the protrusion member is broken off by applying light lateral finger pressure, the desired quantity of the contents may thereafter be expelled through the opened nozzle-like outlet by gentle hand squeezing of the package.
In a second embodiment the entire reclosable aperture forming means may be integrally formed into what will become an easy to use reclosable dispensing package. In this second embodiment a generally relatively flexible, compressible pouch or container member is sealably attached to a cover member forming the top or lid of the package. The cover member includes the new reclosable aperture forming means and tethered cap member as described above and similarly used.
In another desirable embodiment the pouch or container member has the integral hollow protrusion and tethered cap member thermoformed into the underside of its relatively stiff rim. The advantage of this version being that the cover member then becomes a relatively thin skinlike member which is very easy to print and less expensive than the formed upper cover member.
The aforesaid cap member which is initially formed with the package as an integral unit is preferably formed along one peripheral edge of either the cover member forming the top or lid of the package relatively closely adjacent to the breakaway protrusion member or on the underside of the rim. A cut line may create a tether member which permits the cap member to be mechanically removed by the user from its molded position in production and placed over the opened nozzle-like aperture forming means so as to protect the breakaway tip during shipping and handling, while remaining tethered to the package. As also preferably embodied, the aforesaid cap member permits the end user of the package to readily open or reclose the package after each use.
In other alternative embodiments of the dispenser package of the present invention:
(i) the breakaway protrusion member forming the aperture in the package may be broken off at the surface of the cover member forming the top or lid of the package, thereby eliminating the nozzle-like outlet configuration in those applications where the contents of the package don""t require nozzle formation;
(ii) the cap member may be formed with miniature protrusions to act like a brush, or may have some other desired shape to perform some other desired tool function for use in handling the contents dispensed from the package, such as by brushing or spreading;
(iii) if reclosing the package is not required, the cap member may be open-ended having a predetermined shape such that, upon placing the cap member over the nozzle-like aperture of the package, the contents may be dispensed in such shaped stream;
(iv) the cap member may be provided with an internal central plug dimensioned to mate with the opening formed in the dispenser package to thereby serve as a plug to further ensure sealing of the opening after removal of the breakaway protrusion member; and
(v) the breakaway protrusion and tethered cap members may be formed in a portion of the cover member which extends beyond one end of the compressible pouch member at a predetermined angle and communicates with the product contained in the pouch by means of a shallow neck or channel, thereby facilitating application of the contents of the package onto a surface, such as, e.g., toothpaste onto a toothbrush or glue onto a break line. Alternatively, the breakaway protrusion member may be formed in the cover member directly over the pouch portion with the cap formed at an adjacent small flat area. This method yields a somewhat larger pouch volume while using the same total amount of material.
It will be understood that the foregoing preferred embodiments of the dispenser package of the present invention may be thermoformed from a wide variety of plastic materials, including, e.g., PP (polypropylene) Barex, HDPE (high density polyethylene), HIPS (high impact polystyrene) and foamed HIPS, as well as various laminations and/or coextrusions of the aforesaid materials and other plastic materials, including, e.g., PP/EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol)/PP; Barex/PP; Barex/EVOH/PP; PET (polyethylene tetrafluoride)/LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene); PET/EVOH/LLDPE; PVC (polyvinylchloride)/LLDPE; NY (nylon)/LLDPE; and NY/EVOH/LLDPE. Alternatively, the aperture forming means and the dispenser packages of the present invention may be formed by injection molding.
It also will be understood that the foregoing preferred embodiments of the dispenser packages of the present invention may be manufactured in a wide variety of sizes, as desired, although the preferred size range is from about 2 ml capacity to about 4 fluid ounce capacity. Similarly, the aforesaid package may be manufactured in a wide range of dimensions. A typical size for a package containing 30 ml or 1 fluid ounce of material is on the order of about 1 inch deep by about 1 inch wide by about 3 to 4 inches long, which fits comfortably in the palm of the hand of most users. Furthermore, the independent formations of aperture forming means and the tethered caps may be applied to a very wide range of packaged from single use sizes to half gallons.
Briefly described, as preferably embodied, the apparatus of the present invention forming the preferred aperture-forming protrusion member in the cover member of the dispenser package includes a two-stage punch member which advances to engage and clamp a thermoformable material against a self-centering and self-aligning hollow anvil member. The first punch member advances to initially form a hollow, drum-shaped protrusion in a specific heated area of the thermoformable material. Thereafter, a second punch member preferably located within, and moveable relative to, the first punch member continues to advance forward. The second punch member includes a first generally frusto-conically shaped surface adapted to form a substantially cylindrical or frusto-conically shaped hollow tip member extending from the drum-like protrusion formed by the first punch member. At the moment formation of the hollow tip member is completed, the forward advancement of the second punch brings a second shallow conical surface into cooperating engagement with the peripheral edge or rim defining the hollow portion of the anvil member to thereby compress the wall of the formed hollow tip about a peripheral portion thereof to create a weakened fault line in the hollow tip protrusion member. As here preferably embodied, the aforesaid punch and anvil members create a fault line at the base of the aforesaid hollow tip protrusion member which extends continuously about the periphery thereof.
In an alternative embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the heated sheet of thermoformable material is clamped against the anvil member and a single stage punch member having a generally frusto-conically shaped forward end portion is thereafter advanced to form the aforesaid hollow, substantially cylindrical or frusto-conically shaped tip member. At the moment formation of the hollow tip member is completed, the rim of the anvil member compresses the wall of the hollow tip member about the periphery thereof to create a weakened fault line. It will be seen that the heated thermoformable film (material) may be clamped against a relatively thin plate spaced away from the anvil which contains an accurately aligned hole centered on the aperture of the anvil member. In this embodiment, between the punch and anvil the film will be formed into a conical member as the punch is advanced through the plate and said conical member will then be further formed until it contacts the peripheral edge or rim at the opening of the aperture in the anvil. This alternate apparatus creates a fault line banding or girdling the formed conically-shaped tip member at a predetermined point between its base and its apex.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing various brief descriptions and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the present invention, but are not intended to be restrictive thereof or limiting of the advantages which can be achieved by the invention or various combinations thereof. The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting in part hereof, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.